Improvement in steam-generating apparatus



J. E. CA'LVBR. STEAM -BOILER PURNAOB.

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w m.: M M: P Q f UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

J. E. CULVER, OF HUDSON', NEW JERSEY.A

|IVIPRovI-:Miarrv m-.sTEAM--GENERAi-me APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,6113, dated OctoberI4, 1862.

To'aZZ whom it Hwy concern:

Be it known that I, J. E. CULVER, of the city of Hudson, in the countyof 'Hudson and State of New Jersey, have'invented a new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus for Generating Steam; and I- do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description'of .the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecication, in which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal verticalsection of a steam-generating apparatus con-` structed according to myinvention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 3 is -atransverse vertical section' of the same.

Similar letters of refe-rence indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

This invention relates to that class of steamgenerating apparatus inwhich the gaseous products of the combustion of the fuel are allowed orcaused to mingle with steam generated' by heat transmitted from thenr tothe water, and used in combination with such steam as a further sourceof motive power.`

The principalobj'ect of the invention is to obtain a combination of thesteam and gaseous products of combustion atas low a temperature as ispossible, and thereby not t only to obviate the difliculties attendantupon the u se of steam and gases at ahigh temperature, but tol generatethe greatest quantity of steam attainable from the combustion of a givenquantity of fuel; and the invention consists in a certain constructionof lthe generating'apparatus, Iand certain improvements in some of thedetails thereof to effect that result.

. A in such a manner as to be entirely surrounded and covered withwater. The shell is made considerably larger proportionately to the'furnacethan when the steam alone is. to be used as the motor. Thefurnace maybe of any suitable form; but I prefer it to be of such formand so fitted with an internal fire-box, C, as to permit the air, whichis supplied to the furnace under pressure by an air-pump or conv denser,to pass-from above downward through the fuel and the grate D to theash-pit D', and .e thence to rise-through passages f j' outside of thefire-box, on each side thereof, as indicated byarrows in Fig. 3, toaspace, g, in the top. of the furnace, where the combustion iscompleted,and from whence the gaseous products are distributed through asy'stemfsubmerged tubes or ilues, E E, intercommunicating through every part ofthe boiler below the water-level before escaping into'v the waterthrough numerous small orifices in the lowermost lines, and risingthrough the water into. the steam-spacein the upper part of the boiler.These dues shouldbe of such form and so arranged as to exten-d fromvnear the bottom to near the 'water -level and' nearly the whole lengthand vwidth of the boiler, and to cause the circulation of the gases innumerous thin .Sheets or streams, with theinterposition only of ametallic conductor of heat among the whole body of'water in the boiler.The fiucs represented consist of two series of horizontal flattenedtubes intersecting each other at right angles, as v,shown in Fig. 2, anda series of vvertical tubes of similar form intersecting the saidhorizontal tubes; but the con struction and arrangement of the lues maybe varied, provided, always," that they be made to present sufficientsurface to causethe surrounding water to absorb a suicieut quantity ofheat from the gases to effect therednetion of their temperatureto such adegree as to make it approximate to the temperature of the steam beforethe mixture of the two is allowed to take place in the upper paggglibcJ/M To enable others skilled in the art to -makel boiler. Y Inl ordertosubdivide the bubbles in which the gases rise through the water, Iarrange .one or more diaphragms, dd, of wire-cloth or .other reticulatedor perforated material, in horizontal positions between, among, andaround the The throat F, by which the upper part of the furnace isconnected with the iiues E E, is fitted with a valve, G, or stop-cock,operated by means of a rod, G, passing throughastuii'-Y l Severalapertures may be provided in the f urnace for the connection of thesystem of lues at several points, and each one must be furnished with avalve or stop-cock to be operated as and for the purpose abovespecified.

H is a passage leading through one side of the boiler into the ire-boxand upper part 0f the furnace, for the supply of the fuel and the airfor combustion. This passage is provided at its outer end with l a door,I, which is fitted perfectly tight, and furnished with proper means ofsecuring it in a closed condition at all times, but when it is necessaryto introduce fuel, and is also provided at itsinner end with a shutter,J, which can be closed to prevent the air from passing` into the lowerchamber of the re-box and compel it to pass through an aperture, a, Fig.8, into the upper chamber thereof, abovethe perforated diaphragm M, -thesaid shutter J being worked bya rod, b, when the door I is open.

The pipe c, through which air is supplied, is represented in Fig. 3 asconnected with the door I. It is, however, preferable to admit the airby a separate opening. The air-pipe must of course-be closed to. stopthe supply of airbefore the valve G at the top ofthe furnace is closed.

K is a passage leading from the ash-pit through one side of the boiler,for the purpose of drawing out the ashes. This passage is also fitted atits outer end with a perfectlytight door', L, which is only opened whenitbecomes necessary to remove the ashes.`

The passages H and K are surrounded byy water, which conducts away thefree calorie from the hot gases which they contain when closed. uThesaid passages may, however, be ittcd with plugs composed of sheet ironboxes illed with plaster, which, by occupying the spaces between them,exclude the gases, and so keep the doors I L 'comparatively cool.

N is a waste-pipe leading from within-the fines Il E, near thelower'most portion of the system, to permit a portion of the gaseousproducts of combustion to escape to the at mosphere without coming indirect contact with the water or mingling with the steam, whenever fromany cause it is impracticable or not desirable to mix the whole of suchproducts with the steam. This pipe is provided with a stop-cock, N, toregulate the escape or to close it entirely,when desired.

I) is Awhat I call a safety-pipe, leading from the upper part of thefurnace to the atmosphere, and furnished with astop-coek, P', to beopened whenever the valve G at the topA of the furnace is closed, forthe purpose of allowing the escape .of the gasesof combustion to theatmosphere, but to be closed at all other times.

The operation of the generation of steam and the admixtureof the steamwith the gas eous products of'eombustion is as followsz The gaseousproducts traversing the submerged tlues communicate their caloricthrough the metal of which they are composed tothe w`ater in the boiler,which surrounds Ythem on every side. Simultaneously, by this means, thegases are cooled and the waterv heated, and steam is thereby rapidlygeneratedbetween, among, and around them, as well as around the furnace,and by the time the gases issue from the orifices at v'the bottom ofthe' tlues their temperature has been so far reduced that the furthercooling, to which they are subjected in rising through the water intothe upper partei'A the boiler, where they mix with the steam, causesthem toapproximate in temperature to the steanrbefore the mixture takesplace. By the force of gravity the coolest portions of the gases willbe'caused to occupy the lowermost spaces in the dues, and the hottestthe uppermost, meanwhile the continuous circulation of the gaseouscurrents through the fines contributes to the same result. It is evidentthat the more slowly the gases iiow from the furnace to the'water in theboileriu other words, the longer they can be detained inthe dues-themore'they will be cooled in their descent, and the more nearly willtheir temperature at the instant of escaping from the openings of theues approximate to thatIQt-the waterinto which they issue. Therefore thegreater the aggregate capacity of all the flues, and the smaller andmore numerous their ramifications, the greater must be the quantity ofsteam generated relatively tO the amount of atmospheric air consumed,laud the l'ower thetemperature at which the mingled steam and gas can beused as a motive power. Again, by reducing the temperature of the gasesto a suitable degree before their introduction into direct contact withthe water, and causing their distribution among the water in a verydivided state, the mixture of the air and gas is obtained in asuciently-moist condition to prevent any injury to the engine in whichit is employed.

I do not claim the use of the gaseous pronucts of combustion with steamgenerated by heat transmitted from these products to the water in theboiler; but

What I claim as my invention, aud desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination, within the boiler, of a furnace, B, a system ofsubmerged flues, E E, and one or more retieulated diaphragms, d,substantially as herein specified.

2. The furnace B, constructed with internal rboX,C, grate D, diaphragmM, air-inlet a, fines E E, the Whole constructed and arranged passages ff, chamber g, and outletF, the whole to operate substantially as hereinspecified. arranged substantially as and for the purpose hereinspecified. Y

3. The combination of the`boiler A,'furnace Witnesses; B, tire-.box C,grate D, diaphragm'M, air-inlet J AMES LAIRD,

a, passages f j', chamber g, outlet F F, and G. W. REED.

' J. E. CULVER,

